A helicopter and rescue boat were used to rescue the survivors. The 10-seat Piper Navajo Chieftain owned by tour and charter company Big Island Air ditched in the ocean 200 yards from Honoli`i Point.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Robert Crispin said the pilot was headed for the airport after shutting down his right engine, which had caught on fire. But with only one engine running, the plane didn't have enough power to make it to the airport, so the pilot had to set it down in the water, Crispin said.

Pilot Nicholas A. Vanus reported engine problems, saying he was going to ditch the plane, said Tom Hada, a Hawaiian Airlines pilot who was waiting for takeoff from the airport.

"He knew he was going down," Hada said. "This guy was real calm. He had it together. He was definitely in control of the situation, and he did a terrific job."

There was no indication Reynolds got out of the plane before it sank in more than 100 feet of water, Crispin said.